Promises Are Hard to Keep
by mardel
Summary: Sequel to Promises, a Claire/Bobby/Darien story. Slash.


Promises Are Hard to Keep  
mardel  
  
Sequel to Promises a Darien/Bobby/Claire fic as requested by at least two loyal  
readers.   
  
  
  
Claire was the one to insist that they at least try to behave normally. They spent  
several nights a week at her house. Sometimes they returned to Darien's where it  
had all started.   
  
They fell into a pattern when it came to sleeping. Bobby still couldn't be in the   
middle, so Claire and Darien took turns, snuggling up with Bobby.   
Not that snuggling up to Darien was unpleasant, it was just that his entire focus  
was on Bobby. Not that she blamed him. She felt the same way. But she did   
appreciate Darien's need for contact, now that he'd gotten them to break their  
rule and admit their feelings. For him and each other, he wasn't going to accept  
anything less from them than total devotion.   
  
Darien loved attention, from her, from Bobby. It didn't matter, he reveled in any  
caresses that focus on him. If he were a cat Claire was sure he'd purr.   
Almost any place you touched him was an erogenous zone. But he really lost  
it if you stoked his hair, caressed his chest and nipples. The area just above his  
collar bone was very receptive. The taunt muscled area just above his hip bone.  
Claire had discovered that one by accident.   
  
The first Sunday morning they had all spent together after his last treatment.  
Bobby was in the shower, Darien had to go last because he took so long.   
Claire was trying to get to the coffee in the kitchen, but he was playing games  
with her. Blocking the way, pretending to be searching for the butter in fridge.  
  
"Excuse me love." Claire had tried to slip past him. But he blocked her.   
  
"Darien excuse me please." She put her hands on his bare sides, his promise  
to at least wear underwear when he was out of the bedroom kept for once.   
  
"Oh, yeah that's the spot Keepie, stroke me there again and I'll do anything   
you want, anything at all." Darien had sighed.   
  
Claire shifted her hand over his taunt external abdominal muscles and stoked.  
He nearly collapsed at her feet.   
  
"Oh Claire you have no idea what that does to me." Darien's voice was deep,  
soft and pleading for more.   
  
"No, this is a new spot. Shall we get you to a chair before you collapse?"   
  
Darien moved the few feet to the big stuffed chair in the living room.   
He sprawled out over it, and groaned. "You wouldn't consider giving me a   
little more..." Darien hoped.   
  
"You really want me to?"   
  
" Would you please Claire that was great."   
  
Claire smiled and moved to kneel by the chair, he was stretched out laying back  
in the chair, his long legs crossed at the ankle.   
She reached to stroke her hand over the taunt muscle again, he closed his eyes  
and sighed. "Yeah, that's the spot right there. You have great hands Keepie."   
  
She caressed him, massaging the area he was so responsive to, she was expecting  
him to become aroused. But this clearly wasn't a sexual thing, he just loved being  
touched.  
Especially in certain areas. It was just that Darien was so vocal about his pleasure.  
If she'd been listening in another room to the moans and groans coming from him  
she would have guessed he was having sex, or at least getting oral.   
After several minutes she ended the contact.   
  
"Thank you, you have no idea what that does for me." Darien smiled a very   
satisfied little grin up at her.   
"I think I do have an idea. Now it's your turn to return the favor." She was just  
baiting him to see if he would.   
  
"Umm, sure as soon as I get mobile again." Darien inhaled deeply and sat up,  
then he stood slowly and stretched. "What did you have in mind?"   
He thought she might request he give her some alone time with Bobby. He   
didn't for a moment think she'd ask him for something.   
  
" I'd like held for a little while. Not now, but sometime when I need it.   
I've a feeling I'm going to miss this, much more than either of you will, when it  
ends."  
  
"Ends? Claire don't think like that. I'm well, you fixed the gland. Bobby's  
happy for the first time since I don't know when and you, you should see the way  
you glow when he's in the room. Why are you predicting an ending?"   
  
"I don't like thinking this way, but I feel that this won't last. "   
  
"I hope you're wrong. But if that's what you want I agree, but you don't have to make a  
bargain with me for a hug. I've always been available to you for affection, it's just that  
you would never accept it." Darien touched her shoulder.   
  
Claire loved him so much, that was why in the past she had to keep as much  
distance between them as she could. She as afraid if she allowed herself to accept  
his embrace, if only for a few seconds. She would never be able to go back to   
doing with out.   
"Darien?"   
  
"Yeah, you ready for your turn?" He grinned at her, and opened his arms for  
her to climb into his embrace. Claire wrapped her arms around his chest and  
pressed her face into the hollow of his throat. Darien curved his body around  
her, holding her close, tightly.   
  
"Did I miss something?" Bobby entered the room freshly shaved and dressed.   
  
"No, just making sure my Keeper knows I love her." Darien said, while still  
keeping hold of Claire.   
  
"Yeah, you stay on her good side. I'm starved is there anything to eat yet?"   
  
"I was going to make you eggs and toast, but I got side tracked." Claire   
eased out of Darien's embrace.   
  
After breakfast and waiting for Darien to get showered and his hair styled to  
his satisfaction. They all went out to the boardwalk together. Claire wasn't  
at all sure how to behave with them. She wanted to hold Bobby's hand.  
But hesitated. Darien was already ahead of them, he wanted to check out   
his favorite stand, to see if they had any new retro clothes.   
  
Bobby escorted her to the boardwalk, he was very relaxed for once. One of the  
few times she'd seen him wear casual clothes. Tan shorts, loafers and a light weight  
print shirt over a well worn sleeveless tee shirt. Claire was wearing shorts also,  
and a new top in soft mint green.   
  
"He's just a kid sometimes." Bobby shook his head after Darien. Who was kind   
of skipping down the boardwalk. He reached for Claire's hand, and was glad   
when she accepted his hand in hers'. He had nothing against showing affection  
in public, he wasn't sure of Claire's thinking on that topic so he asked.   
  
"Is this okay?"   
  
"Sorry?" Claire was watching as Darien practically dance down the path.   
  
"You don't mind holding hands?"   
  
"No I was wanting to reach for your hand before then wasn't sure if you minded?"  
  
Bobby smiled, leaned over and kissed her, softly. "I'll never mind any sign of  
affection you make towards me. In public or anywhere else."   
  
Claire smiled back at him, " You may have to coach me a little then, I've never  
been very demonstrative in public."   
  
"Just go with your impulses, especially down here, no one will even notice."   
They started to walk in the direction Darien had gone. He was looking thru a  
new collection of used clothing. Bobby stopped to look at the wallets and stuff  
in the booth next door. Claire wandered from booth to booth for several minutes.  
But she didn't really enjoy shopping much, not when her head was still full of   
emotions from the night before. Darien was searching for a couple of new shirts.   
When he found one he wasn't sure about. He looked for her.  
  
"Hey, sweetie what do you think?" Darien asked, holding it up to his chest for  
her to see.   
Claire studied him, then shook her head no. " I don't like that color on you."  
  
"Okay how about this one then?" Darien switched to a blue shirt that was very  
like a long sleeve tee shirt he already owned.   
  
"No, you have that one at home."   
  
"Not in this color." Darien protested. He picked a third selection and showed her.  
  
"Now that's better, I like that one." She smiled and moved closer to help him hunt  
for more choices. Darien was looking, but he was getting boarded with looking   
thru the jumble of clothes. He nudged Claire, she ignored him. He nudged her  
again, so she nudged him back. He moved to the other side of the table and reached  
a long arm over and tickled her. Claire clamped her arm down to her side and trapped  
his hand. Darien pulled free, and dodged out of her reach. Claire lopped a wad of   
shirts at him.   
  
"Hey, no far." Darien whined and caught them. He put the shirts down on the   
table and made a grab for her. Claire ducked, but he was faster and grabbed her  
around the waist lifting her off her feet. Claire squealed, not loudly but it still brought  
Bobby on the run.   
  
"Claire are you...." He stopped when he saw they were just playing. Darien had   
his arm wrapped around her waist, she was struggling to get free.   
  
"Just teasing Keepie." Darien flashed a smiled at Bobby when he arrived.   
  
Bobby nodded, and stood watching. Claire finally broke out of Darien's hold  
and reached up to ruffle his carefully styled hair.   
  
"Hey, now you're in for it." Darien swatted her hand away from his head.   
Claire ran for the protection of Bobby's presence.   
  
"Bobby love, make Darien stop teasing me."   
  
"Huh, you two are worse than kids." Bobby crossed his arms over his chest as  
Claire ducked behind him. It wasn't that he was a large shield, just that she knew  
Darien wouldn't hurt her with him there.   
  
Darien reached over Bobby's shoulder and tried to grab the banana clip out of  
Claire's hair. He wanted revenge for her messing up his style.   
  
"Okay that's enough silliness Fawkes. Go finish your shopping." Bobby warned.   
So far he was keeping his cool, but if Darien wouldn't leave Claire alone he would  
jump to her defense.   
  
"She messed up my hair." Darien protested, sounding very like a teen, instead of  
a thirty year old man.   
  
"She won't do it again. Will you Claire?" Bobby aimed that comment towards   
the woman hiding behind him.   
  
"No, I was only trying to get free. I won't bother you anymore." Claire acted all  
innocent.   
  
Darien glared at her but went back to find the shirts he liked.   
  
"Thank you Bobby. I guess that will teach me not to mess with his hair."   
Claire moved around to Bobby's side and kissed his cheek.   
  
Bobby snaked a arm around her and kissed her on the mouth. He didn't like   
having to separate them when they had these little squabbles. He hoped they  
grew out of them soon. " You can't keep provoking him, you know he will  
always retaliate."   
  
"I know, I should behave." She smiled and lifted his sunglasses off his face so  
she could see into his dark eyes. "I've never shared a relationship like this before,  
it's fun to push him and see what happens. Especially now that there's no danger  
of him being adversely affected." Claire wrapped both arms around Bobby's neck  
and kissed him deeply. He responded enthusiastically, pulling her entire body  
into contact with his hard frame. The kiss lasted long enough for people to notice.  
When Bobby finally ended the kiss, Claire was breathless. She'd planned to take  
his breath away and he'd smoothly turned the tables on her.   
  
"I'm going on down and look over the books." Darien told them. He'd seen  
the clinch they were in, and knew better than to try and break it up.  
  
"Come on Keepie, the book store should be safe." Bobby took her hand and  
guided her down the row of stores.   
  
Darien was looking over the books on the side of the store facing the sand.  
A pair of young women approached him and began flirting. He talked with  
them, but he was still upset from Claire's getting all of Bobby's attention ever  
since they'd left the apartment.   
  
Bobby and Claire arrived, and she went to look over the non fiction section.  
Bobby watched Darien with the two beautiful women. Normally he'd flirt a  
little back but he never took them up on their offer. Today he wasn't flirting,  
he was being rude. They quickly, decided they didn't want to talk to him   
after all and moved off down the boardwalk. Bobby was still watching, Claire  
was talking with one of the store clerks. He was scanning the crowd.   
Darien went back to looking over the books.   
  
Darien was approached by another young woman and he was rude to her  
also. Bobby didn't like this new development, his happy go lucky partner  
was acting weird.   
  
"What's the matter Partner?" Bobby moved up beside Darien in the book  
row on the far wall.  
  
"Nothing, I'm just looking for one I haven't already read." Darien stretched  
for a book on a top shelf.   
"You've been getting all kinds of offers today, why are you being so mean?"  
  
"I'm not being mean, I'm just not interested. I've got you and Claire I don't  
need anyone else." Darien reminded him.   
  
"Yeah, you've got us, but that's no reason to be rude to these girls."   
  
" I'd have thought you would be glad I was telling them I'm taken." Darien  
questioned.   
  
"I'm glad you aren't looking anymore, but you don't have to hurt their feelings."  
Bobby knew how it felt to be shot down, over and over. Claire had knocked him  
down enough times.   
  
"Then how about if I send out a message." Darien moved quickly, and embraced  
Bobby lowering his mouth over Bobby's, the kiss wasn't long, but it got the point  
across to anyone watching.   
  
But for the second time that morning Bobby turned the tables on the person who  
had initiate the kiss. Darien was melting into him, he'd intended to just make  
a quick statement by kissing Bobby. Bobby was placing his stamp on Darien now,  
making sure that Darien understood he was taken and loved.   
  
"Oh man," Darien swallowed and locked gazes with Bobby.   
  
"Pick out your book, I'll be over by the front of the store." Bobby nodded, satisfied  
he'd made his point. Darien looked dazed just as Claire had earlier.   
  
Both Claire and Darien had to rethink the plan they had anticipated for the day.  
Both wanted to return to the house and spend the afternoon making love with   
Bobby. His kiss of ownership having the same effect on them both.   
  
"I'm kind of thirsty, do you want a soda or some water?" Bobby asked Claire  
as she joined him carrying the book she'd just purchased.   
  
"Some juice or something would be nice. Where is Darien?" She looked over   
to the area she'd seen him last.   
  
"He's over there now." Bobby nodded to the other side of the store. "I'll ask  
him how much longer he needs."   
  
" Claire and I are going over to the coffee place, you want to join us or meet  
us over there?" Bobby asked.  
  
"I'll come with you." Darien put the book down, he stepped in beside Bobby  
on the other side of Claire. He wondered if they both double teamed him if  
he would be up for a make out session on the beach.   
  
Darien tried to signal to Claire that he wanted to talk to her in private for a second.  
But she wasn't looking his way. Bobby got in line for the coffee and juice.   
  
"Claire come on lets go find a place to sit before they are all taken."   
  
"Alright tell Bobby what you want." Claire allowed Darien to lead her away  
from the line.   
  
"He knows, come on." Darien found a table close to the widows and put her  
bag down. "Claire listen, I saw that kiss he gave you. I got one almost identical  
to it a few minutes ago. I think it's time to gang up on Bobby and stop all this  
competing."  
  
"I'm not competing with you for Bobby's attention Darien." Claire protested.  
  
"Okay you aren't I was, but never mind. I think we need to team up and persuade  
him that the best way to spend the afternoon is in bed."   
  
"You want him all to yourself?"   
  
"Well yeah I do, but that isn't our deal. I'll be happy if we can just persuade him  
to try letting us pick the time and place." Darien found Bobby's hard line attitude  
about only making love after the sun went down, and first thing in the morning,  
interesting considering he was sleeping with both him and Claire.   
  
"Where did you have in mind?" Claire was worried.   
  
"I know about a place down the beach here, it's secluded it has it's own pool  
and the owner is away on vacation." Darien informed her.  
  
"Have you been breaking into houses for fun again?"   
  
"No, just listening in on conversations. I checked it out the other day, it's perfect."  
Darien promised her. "Just follow my lead."   
  
Bobby arrived with the drinks, and tookPromises Are Hard to Keep  
mardel  
  
Sequel to Promises a Darien/Bobby/Claire fic as requested by at least two loyal  
readers.   
  
  
  
Claire was the one to insist that they at least try to behave normally. They spent  
several nights a week at her house. SPromises Are Hard to Keep  
mardel  
  
Sequel to Promises a Darien/Bobby/Claire fic as requested by at least two loyal  
readers.   
  
  
  
Claire was the one to insist that they at least try to behave normally. They spent  
several nights a week at her house. Ss a pool, and she kind of thought board  
lady spending time by the pool and the guy that cleans the pool shows up.   
  
"Okay so far that gets you busy, where do I come in?" Bobby was smiling.   
  
"I was kind of thinking maybe you could be the jealous husband coming home  
unexpectedly, and then decided to join us instead of hurting him." Claire rushed  
her story, "Or if you don't like that one, you could be the hunky neighbor who  
I've been flirting with, you think you're going to get lucky then get called away  
to an important phone call. When you come back I'm involved with Darien and  
you join us, taking him first then finishing me off."   
  
"How far is this house?"   
  
Darien was grinning from ear to ear as they headed for the car. He'd made a key  
just for this occasion, as he'd planned to try to get them here before the month was   
over.   
  
"This is really nice, you'll have to send her a nice gift for sharing." Bobby said   
as Darien opened the house. Claire nodded, feeling really scared that they would  
be found out.   
  
But Darien kept making motions to her to play it cool.   
"Okay so which one are we going with?"   
  
"Bobby do you want to be the hunky neighbor or the husband come home to  
find us?" Claire asked.   
  
"I think the neighbor, so you go change and get into position by the pool."  
  
Claire nodded and headed up stairs to change.   
  
"This was really your idea wasn't?" Bobby asked when she was gone.  
  
"Yeah, do you mind?"  
  
"No, not if she's up for it. Let's check out the pool." Bobby pushed open the  
french door and whistled, "This is real nice." The pool was still being maintained.  
There were only a few small leaves floating on the surface of the water.   
  
"I'll go find a few props." Darien had wanted to do this, but now he wasn't  
sure it was a good idea.   
  
Claire came back down, she was wearing a borrowed two piece suit that she looked  
beautiful in, and a sheer wrap she'd hung around her waist. "I'm ready, we're  
starting with Bobby right?"   
  
"The flirting part you are, then he has to leave. Alright are we using our own  
names or pretend ones?"   
  
"What ever you like." Bobby grinned. Claire seemed to be getting into the spirt of  
things now. She stretched out on the lounge chair and removed the wrap.   
  
Darien moved to the edge of the pool and watched. Bobby moved to the hedge  
that separated the two yards.   
  
"Ah hello over there anyone home?" Bobby strolled into the yard, his shirt  
open the tee shirt gone underneath. Claire blinked, he was going to get into this.  
  
"Hi, who's there?"   
  
"Roy Thomas from next door we just moved in a few weeks back." Bobby came   
to stand beside her chair and offered her his hand. He leered at her breasts and  
smiled as she leaned forward to shake hands with him.   
  
"Nice to meet you Roy, I'm Cindi Welsh please make yourself comfortable."   
Claire leaned back in her chair.   
  
"This is a great neighborhood, I love the weather out here. It's always warm."  
He took a seat beside her legs on the end of her chair and leaned an arm across  
her feet pulling his shirt open even more to give her a good look at his chest.   
  
Claire smiled, " Yeah it's a very friendly neighborhood. "  
  
"I can see that." Bobby touched his hand to her leg, and shifted in his seat.  
He was becoming aroused and letting her see that he was very large when he  
was fully erect.   
  
" You want to share?" Claire moved a hand up his thigh inside his shorts,  
grazing his inner thigh and licking her lips.   
  
Darien made Bobby's cell phone ring then. Bobby cursed he'd forgotten for a   
minute they were playing. He reached into his pants pocket and answered the  
phone. "Yeah, yeah, okay hang on for a minute I'll get you those figures from  
inside."   
  
"I'm sorry but I have to take this call." He stood, groaned, adjusted his fully   
swollen package and strolled off towards the hedge.   
  
Claire looked disappointed and huffed back to her book. Darien arrived a few  
minutes later.   
  
"Pool Man!" He announced.   
  
"Hello, come on in."   
  
"Hi there Ma'am you don't mind if I do this real quick do you?" Darien acted like  
the typical laid back beach dude.   
  
"No that's fine go ahead."   
  
Darien kept looking at Claire as he skimmed the water with a screen on the end  
of a long pole. Claire eyed him back, he was very tall, long lean and well muscled.  
His shirt unbuttoned all the way down in the heat.   
  
"There that didn't take long did it?" Darien moved to set his prop down and   
came to look down on her.   
  
"No that was fast, you aren't that fast with everything you do are you?"   
Claire almost groaned after coming up with that silly line.   
  
"No, I'm not usually fast at all." Darien showed her he was aroused. The front  
of his baggy shorts hiding that fact until he got close to her chair and showed   
her how swollen he was.   
  
"Prove it." She challenged.   
  
Darien dropped his short, briefs and all and stripped out of the shirt. He straddled  
her in the chair and reached to remove her suit bottoms.   
"Yeah, you want proof? I'll give you proof." He covered Claire and kissed her,  
while at the same time mounting her with a long hard thrust of his swollen cock.  
Claire moaned in welcome, arching up to meet him.   
  
"God Dare that feels so good." she praised him.   
He continued to kiss her, while maintaining his slow thrusting. He thought Bobby  
would have already arrived to join them. He ended the kiss, and checked behind  
him. Bobby was just coming from the hedge.   
  
"I'm sorry about that Cindi, the call was from my boss..." Bobby froze in his tracks  
the site of Darien's beautiful ass pumping over her making him that much harder.  
"Oh man, you're way ahead of me. Mind if I help you out there?" Bobby dropped  
his pants and pulled off his shirt. He moved in behind Darien, he'd prepared for  
this by fetching a lubed condom from the car. He slipped it over his pulsing cock  
head and inserted a finger in Darien's opening.   
  
"Where have you been?"   
  
"Waiting for just the right moment there Partner." Bobby said and stroked his  
fingertips over Darien's knot of pleasure. Darien was still fully mounted over  
Claire but that just added to his pleasure. He groaned, and thrust into her harder.  
Bobby took position behind Darien's sweet ass and thrust inside carefully. It was  
hot, tight and with Darien already mounted he had to go easy.   
  
"Oh yeah, that 's so good. Help me ride her Bobby, it's her turn to scream."  
Darien said, while trying to maintain his pace.   
  
Bobby took over the thrusting, sending Darien's long hard cock deeply inside  
Claire and his own huge hardness to the hilt inside Darien. He groaned with  
the effort. He was staying in character.   
  
"Oh, yeah you like that don't you? Just wait until I give you the high hard one  
Cindi you'll scream my name." Bobby trash talked.   
He rode over Darien in long, powerful thrusts, he could feel Darien's body responding.  
Darien had lost all control over his joining with Claire. Bobby was driving them both.  
  
Darien came hard, just a few seconds before Claire cried out her orgasm.   
Bobby continued to work over him and her, he was close but he needed another   
few seconds. "Hold on there buddy, I'm almost there. " He grunted and pulled  
out until only his tip was taken then rammed back hard four, five times then   
groaned as he ejaculated. He filled the condom and still he was ejaculating.   
He'd enjoyed using the two people under him.   
  
Darien moaned and move off of Claire, it had taken all his strength to keep from  
crushing her when Bobby rammed hard into him at the end.  
  
"You like that there fella?"   
  
" Oh man, that was amazing." Darien groaned and moved to sit in the other chair.  
  
Claire was panting, she'd never experienced anything like that before.   
"Bobby that was fantastic."   
  
He was about to tell her to hang on for round two. But he heard the emotion in  
her voice, he couldn't continue with the role playing. " You liked it that way?"  
  
"Hey, don't I get any credit here?" Darien spoke up. But he was feeling the same  
way, Bobby was amazing.   
  
"Of course you do, come here." Claire held her arms up to welcome Bobby  
on to the lounge chair with her. He leaned down and kissed her, "Not so sure  
you liked the role play thing now are you?"   
  
"Oh, it was different, but I don't like you being all show off and domineering.  
I like the real you much, much better." She stroked her hand over his chest.  
  
"Bobby's great at pretending to be other people. I should have warned you."  
Darien sighed. He was all sprawled out, in his chair and staring at his naked  
partner. If he had a few more minutes to recover he was sure he'd be ready  
for a second round.   
  
Claire was feeling brave all of the sudden she motioned over at Darien.  
"He'd look really hot if he was wet." She hinted to Bobby.  
  
Bobby looked over to where Darien was still sprawled over his chair. It would  
be hard to improve how spectacular he looked naked, but little rivulets of water  
running down over the muscles of his chest might just do it.   
  
"Partner you know how to swim don't you?" Bobby said as he moved quickly  
towards Darien and lifted him in a lighting fast assault, propelling him into the  
pool only a few feet away.   
  
"Yeah, I know how to swim..." Darien had gotten out almost to late, as Bobby  
assisted him into the water. Bobby followed Darien into the pool. He was expecting  
it to be cool on his hot skin, but it was a heated pool so it was just the right temperature.  
  
"Hey, why did you do that?" Darien came up shaking water off his hair and   
glaring at his partner.   
  
"Claire thought you'd look even sexier wet. She was right." Bobby grinned and  
pulled Darien in for a kiss.   
  
Claire stood up on pool side and removed her swim suit top, then she walked towards  
the pool.   
"How cold is it?"   
  
Their kiss ended, Bobby looked her way, liking very much the view of her long legs  
from the water. "It's heated come in and join us."   
  
Claire walked down the steps into the water, until her breasts were just covered.  
  
"Oh, no you don't if I have to get my hair wet so do you Keepie." Darien swam over  
to her. He planned on dunking her under himself if she wouldn't volunteer to do  
it.   
  
Bobby watched, to see if she would talk her way out of this one.   
"I'm sorry Darien, I never suggested that he throw you in the water, I just suggested  
that you'd look very nice wet." Claire smiled at him as he stopped beside her and  
stood. The top third of his body was above water and he did look very desirable  
with water dripping off his beautiful sculpted chest.   
  
"You like the way I look?" He asked, expecting her to tell him yes but then add  
that she liked Bobby better.   
  
"Darien what a silly question, you have a magnificent build. I'm sure you've  
worked very hard to maintain so much splendor." Claire stroked her finger tips  
over this shoulder then down his left arm.   
  
"But?" Darien added, he expected her to say he was to thin, or something like that.  
  
"No but, I though Bobby was the only one who had a low self image at times.  
Hasn't the response you've gotten from the young women in the area recently   
confirmed to you that we find you attractive?" Claire didn't recall hearing him  
down on himself on this topic before. Before it was always the gland he complained  
about.   
  
"Tell me the truth Claire as a professional, you don't think I'm skinny and   
misproportioned?" Darien questioned. He'd been so lean and gangly growing up  
he could never see his real image in the mirror now without overlaying it with his  
old image.   
  
  
"No, you have a magnificent build Darien. Do you hear this Bobby?"  
  
"What is there something wrong?" Bobby had swum to the far end of the pool  
when it looked like Claire and Darien weren't going to have a water fight.  
  
"Darien is questioning his attractiveness." Claire explained.   
  
"You're kidding right?" Bobby joined them at the lower end of the pool.  
  
"Why do you say it like that? You've seen me get shot down dozens of times."  
Darien protested.   
  
"Yeah, but only because your opening line is so lame. What about this morning,  
you chased off at least three hot young ladies." Bobby reminded him.  
  
"Yeah, well they were just talking to me."   
  
"See now that he's over the quicksilver madness thing, he's stressing over this."   
Claire rolled her eyes.   
  
"Well I'll admit this now but I'm not going to keep boosting your ego Partner.   
You are one of the hottest, most desirable men I've seen in my life. I wish I  
had a build like yours, tall, lean, muscles. You won't get any sympathy from me  
if you think you don't look good. " Bobby told him, looking him straight in the  
eyes and nodding. "Why do you think it's been like twenty years since I was  
with a guy? You are just to good to pass up."   
  
"I am?" Darien asked, his voice cracking. He talked a good line sometimes but  
deep down he was never confident of his ability to keep Bobby.   
  
"Come here," Bobby embraced him, he waved Claire into the hug as well.  
It seemed Darien was unsure of their feelings. Claire joined them in a three  
way hug.   
"Darien love, why are you doubting us now?"   
  
"I'm not doubting you, I just can't believe this is going to work. What you said   
this morning. You're probably right. Everyone in my life leaves me sooner or later."   
  
"Oh, so that's it." Claire smoothed a hand over his back.   
  
"You know I will never bail on you Partner, that includes as your lover. The only  
way you will ever get rid of me is if you tell me to go." Bobby lifted Darien's chin  
so he could read his dark eyes. "You believe me don't you?"   
  
" I want to believe you." Darien whispered.   
  
"I'm sorry I said anything this morning Darien. I'm just so happy being with both  
of you it's hard to believe it will last. You'll have to throw me out to get rid of me  
too Love, I won't willingly leave." She placed a kiss on his jaw, then rested her temple  
against his throat.   
  
Darien sighed, he hated these little bouts of doubt that swept over him everyone  
in a while. Claire had explained it was part of the gland's invasion of his hormonal  
system. He hugged Bobby closer, wanting to keep them both in his arms for a   
few moments. They stood in the water silent for a minute, each of them soaking in  
the precious moment.   
  
"Bobby you're the one with the perfect build, all muscle, tight abs, and a great  
ass." Darien finally broke the silence. He slide one hand down Bobby's back to  
cup his partner's firm ass cheek, then placed a kiss on his throat. Claire smiled and added.   
" Yes, I love his build." Claire shifted her focus to Bobby slipping her hand over his  
thigh checking for current condition.   
  
Bobby had heard this from both of them before so he believe they liked his body.  
He didn't agree with them, but he wasn't about to argue the point. He did know  
he'd never failed to please either of them yet, and he planned on keeping it that way.  
"If you guys want to get busy again, I think we're going to have to get out of the water."   
Bobby groaned as Claire's slender hand caressed his growing arousal.   
  
"Oh we are definitely going to need a second round, aren't we Claire?" Darien was   
still nuzzling the area of Bobby's throat he loved best.   
  
"I'd say at least one more." Claire continued to fondle him and added her mouth to  
the caresses Bobby was being treated to, starting with the cord that ran down from  
behind his ear, and traveling lower until he groaned again.   
  
"Oh, you two are going to kill me." Bobby commented. But he was enjoying all of the  
attention. Darien was attempting to suck on his nipple but he was lower in the water,  
"I think Bobby's right we need to get out of the pool for this to work." Darien propelled  
them all towards the steps. Claire whimpered when she had to break contact with Bobby  
to climb out of the pool.   
  
"How are we doing it this time?" Bobby asked, not sure who'd started this.   
  
"Claire?" Darien groaned and dropped to his knees in front of Bobby, he wanted to  
taste the throbbing erection standing proud at Bobby's waist he didn't care who's turn  
it was.   
"I'm not sure, but it looks like Darien's decided what he wants."   
Bobby groaned, as Darien surrounded him with his warm mouth, drawing his tongue  
along the length of his shaft and sucking deeply.   
Claire settled for kissing him, while Darien was pleasuring him. Her hands busy stroking  
over his shoulders and back. Bobby broke contact with her when he exclaimed his climax.  
Gasping for air, as he shot hot cum down Darien's throat.   
"I wish you'd groan like that for me other ways." Darien grinned up at his lover.   
Not that Darien ever expected Bobby to want topped, but he'd like to attempt it at  
least once.   
  
Bobby heard Darien's request but chose to not comment, he wasn't sure he was ready  
for that, at least not yet. "God let me catch my breath."   
  
Claire was ready for a turn, but Bobby was done. Darien however was very aroused,  
he was laying back on the tile that surrounded the pool, staring up at them. He seemed  
satisfied at the moment, but he probably would need attention soon.   
  
"Darien love, you wouldn't fancy a try at making love in the pool would you?"   
Claire purred.   
  
"I'll try anything once." He grinned up at her.   
  
"Want to join us?" Claire asked Bobby, knowing he'd just gotten them out of the water  
because he didn't like the idea.   
  
"No, I'm good, enjoy yourself." Bobby moaned and moved to the nearest chair to recover.  
  
Claire moved to her knees and pressed her breasts into Darien's chest as she moved to  
kiss him as prelude for their attempt at pool sex. "My you are very hard, are you sure  
you want to try this?"   
  
"I'm up for it Keepie if that's what you want." Darien teased her, rubbing his throbbing  
erection against her leg. Claire straddled his groin and rode over his trapped erection,   
"Umm, feels so good, almost as good as when you mount me." She moved over him.  
Darien hadn't had a woman rub him this way in years. But Claire seemed to really enjoy  
the stimulation.  
Darien allowed her to rub against him another moment then he swept her up and carried  
her into the warm water. Claire wrapped herself around his long frame and moaned, as she  
sought for his erection in their new position. Darien cupped her ass, and brought her close  
so he could get into position.   
  
" You're so aroused Love, do you think we can do this?"   
  
"Yeah, just help me mount you." Darien was finding it difficult keeping her close in the  
water and getting his swollen organ into position. Claire moaned and slipped her hand  
up his throbbing shaft.   
"Darien you're massively swollen are you alright?" Claire sounded turned on and concerned  
at the same time.  
  
"I'm just really aroused, help me..." He groaned then as she surrounded him, hot, tight,  
he thrust deep, but had to wrap her legs around his waist to keep her in place.   
Claire moaned, and moved on his long hard organ, " You feel so huge. Does it hurt?"  
  
Darien responded to her question by thrusting as hard as he could, but in the water it wasn't  
that forceful, he backed her into the side of the pool and tried again. He attempted to thrust  
hard and deep, but with Claire wrapped around him, it was difficult to ease out and then  
ram back. "I think I understand why this isn't more popular." Darien groaned as he attempted  
to achieve some friction.   
  
"Umm, feels wonderful to me." Claire sighed, he was so swollen any movement was giving  
her wave after wave of pleasure.   
  
Bobby was listening to them, he'd enjoyed sex in the water a few times, but it wasn't  
easy for the guy to reach orgasm, it took more effort then usual.   
"Make Claire lock her knees on your hips and use your shoulders for leverage. If she  
rides you, it'll work quicker."   
  
Darien turned his back towards the side of the pool and moved her so she was the one  
in control of the joining. As soon as she shifted her weight forward and began pumping  
down over him, Darien got much more stimulation.   
  
"Oh yeah, that's it, ride me hard Keepie." He pleaded. Claire worked down over his  
staining cock then lifted up then ground down to the hilt of his massive erection.   
Darien helped her ride over him, groaning deep down, because he was now almost  
to his climax. "Yeah, that's so hot, keep using me, feels perfect, ride me hard."   
  
Claire reached her climax first but Darien was only a few beats behind her. She   
tried not to scream her release, so she hide her face against his throat.   
Darien braced them out of the water with his elbows hooked on the side of the pool.  
But he was whipped out, and she'd done most of the work. He did managed to get them  
both out of the water and into lounge chairs.   
  
"Okay that's not fair, all these years I've been doing all the work and you can get us  
both off just by shifting your weight forward." Darien protested.   
  
"You were in to much of a hurry to experiment with your lady friends?" Bobby found  
it kind of funny Darien hadn't known about that particular position.   
  
"Yeah, well I guess I was." Darien grinned, he had Claire laying on a lounge chair   
between him and Bobby. "You okay there Keepie?"   
  
"Yes, yes I'm find just wonderful." Claire murmured. She was ready for a  
nap. But laying bare naked beside a pool, wasn't her idea of a place for a nap.   
  
Thing was Bobby was now the one that needed some relief, hearing both of his lovers  
sounds of pleasure had made him aroused again. Very aroused.   
"Claire, I still owe you a turn." He said moving to sit beside her on her chair.   
"Umm, Bobby I'm sure I'll be ready when you are."   
  
"Good," he shifted position and straddled her body for a moment as he lowered himself  
down over her. He started by kissing her senseless, then slipped his hard organ inside  
her warmth. Claire was only just recovering from her orgasm with Darien, so it didn't  
take long for her to climax again with Bobby's thick cock thrusting deep inside her.   
He took his time, bringing her to orgasm several times, he loved hearing her moan her  
pleasure, but he loved it more when she moaned his name.   
  
"Oh, Bobby you're so masterful. Ohhhh, Bobby!" Claire was totally sated by the time  
he exclaimed his third orgasm of the morning. Two with Darien and one with her.   
  
Darien was watching, admiring the sight of Bobby's muscles as he worked over Claire.  
The sight of his partner's thick cock pumping in and out of her wide spread legs,   
making him wish he could become aroused again. Or that Bobby would take him again.  
  
Bobby sighed once he's finished ejaculating, he was getting a little sore from so much   
activity. He adjusted his position beside Claire and nestled her semi conscious body  
against his.   
  
"That was magnificent, watching you take her."Darien praised his lover.   
  
Bobby nodded that he'd heard Darien, but he didn't have a response. He wanted   
to just lay there holding her, and relax.   
  
Darien dropped off to sleep first, followed closely by Claire curled up against Bobby.  
Bobby just enjoyed. He didn't want to worry, he just wanted to enjoy the afterglow.   
  
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  
  
Darien woke up when he got cold and couldn't find any covers to pull up over himself.  
Then he remembered where he was. He opened his eyes and saw Bobby and Claire all  
cuddled up together, she wouldn't be feeling cold anytime soon with Bobby wrapped  
around her.   
  
He moved to sit up in the lounge chair, the sun was all the way over towards the other  
side of the sky, so they must have slept for several hours.   
"Bobby, Claire wake up I think we need to go." Darien moved out of his spot and found  
his shorts and pulled them on.   
  
"What's the matter?" Bobby asked his throat dry, he blinked up at his Partner.  
  
"It's getting late, I'm starved and we need to go."   
  
"Umm, time to go already?" Claire asked.   
  
"Here go find your clothes, Bobby and I will straighten up down here." Darien handed  
her the towel she'd brought down with her earlier.   
  
"What's the hurry?" Bobby was pulling on his shorts and looking for his shirt.   
  
"We've been here all morning and I'm starved." Darien said again.   
  
"Okay, Claire will be back in a minute." Bobby found his shirt and pulled it on.   
"You know Fawksey, this was a good idea, I just hope the real owners aren't expected  
back for awhile yet."   
  
"You knew this wasn't a friends' house?"   
  
"Of course, Claire's rich friend has a place in Palm Springs not here."   
  
"I'm ready." Claire was back down stairs her hair brushed back into a pony tail.   
But her clothes looked all neat and proper.   
  
Darien's hair was rather flat compared to usual, but it was shorter now so it didn't  
need as much attention to make it fluff up to it's ususal height.   
  
They walked back up the board walk. Darien stopped to grabbed a hot dog he was so hungry.  
  
"We've missed lunch, do you want something?" Bobby offered to get Claire lunch somewhere.  
  
"I'd like to go home and clean up, that chlorine feels itchy on my skin."   
  
"Okay, home it is." Bobby ushered her and Darien back to the van.   
  
Pavlov greeted them all at the door, and Bobby took him for a quick walk.   
Darien was still in search of food, but he had offered to at least make Bobby and Claire   
lunch while she showered.   
  
Bobby returned with the dog and took a fast shower himself. He was getting dressed   
for the third time that day, when Darien yelled up to them that lunch was ready.  
  
Claire was standing in the doorway admiring her man. Well one of her men.   
"I love you Robert Hobbes, you do know that don't you?"   
  
"I love you too." He moved towards her and caught her hand in his.   
"Let's go down before he eats it all himself."   
  
Darien had made chicken salad sandwiches for everyone. He'd heated up the soup  
Claire had made the day before and he'd arranged a selection of fruit for everyone  
to pick from.   
  
  
They walked down stairs hand in hand.  
  
They all enjoyed a nice late lunch, talking and laughing. Pavlov kept attempting to get  
Claire's attention. She'd pet him for a few minutes then get involved in  
the conversation again.   
  
It was while Bobby and Claire were cleaning up after the meal that she   
realized.   
"Oh drat! I completely forgot to get Pavlov's dog food when we were out."   
  
"I can run down to the store if you want." Bobby offered.   
  
"No, he's my responsibility." Claire protested.   
  
"It's no trouble, you stay and finish this and I'll be back in a jiffy. He eats  
that pedigree in the yellow small cans right?" Bobby wanted to make sure he knew  
the correct band of food.  
  
  
'Yes, any flavor but turkey. Thank you love.' Claire smiled at him.  
  
"I'll be right back. Hey, buddy need anything from the story?' Bobby asked on his way out.   
  
"No, I'm good." Darien waved from his place in front of the television.  
  
Bobby drove down to the store, and picked up the dog food. He got ten cans he figured that  
would last for a week. He also picked up a few other items he thought they might need. He was  
carrying his bag back across the parking lot  
when there was a very loud screeching sound.   
  
Bobby looked to his left and saw a large pick up truck barreling down on him.   
He had only seconds to react, he choose to attempt to roll with the impact, positioning himself to  
take the hit mid body and rolling with the force.  
The truck continued on it's way.   
  
Bobby rolled over and over and over like a stunt man at an action review.   
Only he wasn't wearing padding, and it hadn't been a carefully planned stunt.  
He felt the impact, remembered rolling along the pavement, then he blacked out.  
  
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  
  
"Darien he's been gone almost an hour, do you think something could have happened?" Claire  
was watering her plants, doing small house hold chores.  
  
"It has been awhile, did you try calling his cell phone?" Darien picked up his   
phone from the side table and dialed his Partners number. They both heard  
the phone ring in the hall.   
  
"I guess he forget to take it with him." Claire frowned, Bobby almost always took his cell phone  
with him. She hopped he had at least taken his weapon. She ran up stairs to check and didn't  
see it anywhere. Good. If he was in trouble at least he was armed.  
  
"He has his gun with him. Do you think we should go and look for him?" She asked as she came  
back down the stairs. Darien was standing in the hall, he was worried about Bobby. But he  
wasn't sure if it was time to panic yet.   
  
"Lets go look, maybe he had trouble with Golda and couldn't call because he forgot  
his cell." Darien picked the keys to her SUV up off the table in the hall.   
  
Claire grabbed her purse and keys. They drove to the shopping center closest to the house. They  
saw no sign of trouble, or the Van.   
  
"I'll bet we missed him, lets go back to the house and check." Claire was relieved now, she'd  
expected to find a crime scene or worse.   
  
On the way back to the house they past a fire truck on the way to a building fire.   
"You don't suppose he saw the fire and is helping out or something do you?"   
Claire wondered, out loud.  
  
"It's possible, Bobby can't pass up a chance to help out." Darien kept driving he wanted to  
check the house first. But the van was not back home.   
  
"I'm getting a really bad feeling about this." He said and turned back towards the  
fire, it was possible Bobby had stopped to help.   
  
"I'll go look around, meet me back here in a few minutes." Darien parked the SUV and  
climbed out. Claire went to look too, there were dozens of people milling about, it was a small  
apartment building on fire. It looked like it might have as many as six separate apartments in the  
brick building.   
  
The EMTs were busy patching up a man on a stretcher. Claire checked to make sure it wasn't  
Bobby. Darien returned, " I don't see him anywhere and I talked to the police officer on the  
scene he hasn't seen Bobby.   
  
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  
  
Bobby was laying unconscious on the pavement. An employee called for an ambulance when  
one of the people from the parking lot ran inside and yelled for help. The ambulance loaded him  
on their stretcher and took him to Mesa Vista Hospital.   
  
The police called to the scene interviewed several people about what they had seen. But as  
Bobby was unconscious they followed the ambulance to the hospital. There was no crime scene  
to tap off as he'd only been injured.   
  
"What happened to him?" The tall resident lady doctor asked as Bobby was wheeled into room  
three at the emergency room.   
  
"Hit and run, he's breathing rapid and shallow, but nothing is broken. His pulse  
is 88 his blood pressure is dropping. Pupils are equal, he hasn't regain consciousness since  
we picked him up."   
  
"Did you find his ID?"   
  
"Yeah, it's there by his knee." The EMT handed Bobby over to the doctors.  
  
"Okay mister Hobbes, " she checked his ID, "Let's see if you were really as lucky   
as it looks." She set about checking him over for more serious injuries.   
  
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  
  
"Darien I'm worried what could have happened to him?' Claire was turning to him for  
guidance, because she was so scared that something terrible had happened to Bobby. She fought  
the panicky feeling she was getting, she had to try and stay calm. If he was in trouble her  
panicking wasn't going to help matters.  
  
"I don't know, let' s go back to the store and see if anyone remembers him   
being there." Darien guided Claire back to the car. He had a hard knot in the pit of his stomach,  
he was scared something had happened to his Partner.   
  
Darien drove back to the store for the second time. He went up and down the  
rows of parked cars and they found Golda parked near the back of the lot,  
beside a huge Winnebago. That's why they had missed it the first  
time.   
  
"Okay we know he's hear or at least he was hear." Darien wasn't sure he liked  
knowing Bobby was on foot.   
  
"Perhaps if we ask inside someone will remember checking him out?" Claire wished he has a  
picture of Bobby to show people.   
  
Darien started with the lady working behind the customer assistance counter.  
"May I help you sir?"   
  
"Yeah, this might seem like a strange question, but was there any kind of trouble   
her today?"   
  
"No, I don't believe so is something wrong?"   
  
"My friend's car is still parked outside, but he's not around anywhere."   
  
"Oh, I see, you know there was an accident in the parking lot before. Let me ask Frank if he  
knows what happened." She waved over on of the bag boys.   
  
"Frank did you see the man get hit outside earlier?"  
  
"Oh man, that was terrible he got hit by this big black pick up truck. He went   
rolling and rolling. I was sure he was hurt really bad."  
  
"What did he look like?" Darien asked not wanting to hear more.   
  
"He was kind of bald and short, older my dads' age maybe."   
Frank added.   
  
"Oh, my God!" Claire covered her mouth with her hand.   
  
"Do you know where they took him?"   
  
"No, the ambulance came. There were cops here for about a half hour."   
He shook his head.   
  
"Okay now Claire think what's the best way to find out which hospital he was  
taken to?"  
  
"The police officer that was here, or the company that dispatched the ambulance." She said.   
  
"I thought they were all county ambulances, never mind Okay. Come on."  
Darien took her back out to the car, and sat her down.   
"Hold on Claire, we need to find out where to go now."   
  
Darien dial 911 on his cell phone.  
"Do you have an emergency?'  
  
"Yes, my friend was in an accident at Valley Drive Center, was a ambulance dispatched here  
about an hour ago?"   
  
"You need to contact the EMT service Sir, do you need an ambulance?"  
"No, I'm just trying to locate which hospital."  
  
His phone was cut off, "Damn, I need to call the regular number for information." Darien   
cursed. Just as he was about to dial directory assistance his phone rang.   
"Yeah, who is this?"  
  
"Darien I'm sorry to disturb your Sunday, but I've just received a notice that Bobby was  
admitted to Mesa Vista Hospital as a hit and run."   
  
"Eberts, Oh man thank you so much. We knew he was hurt and didn't know  
what hospital they took him to." Darien handed the phone to Claire and  
climbed in the drivers seat.   
  
"Eberts, how did you get notified so quickly?" Claire asked.   
  
"I keep the program running just in case, it is to notify me if any of the   
Agency personnel are admitted to local hospitals."   
  
"That's very innovative of you, do you know any details of his condition?""  
  
"No he was listed as admitted to emergency, but that was all."   
Eberts sounded very concerned for Hobbes.   
  
"Have you notified the Official?" Claire asked.  
  
"No, he's in Washington for the budget meetings. I wanted to have something to tell him when  
I did call."  
  
"We'll keep you posted. Thank you for calling."   
  
"Claire Mesa Vista it's up over by the park right?"   
  
"Yes, on Vista drive up near the University."   
  
Darien was driving as fast as he dared considering he wasn't sure how to best get there.   
  
"Can I help you?" The woman behind the desk asked.   
  
"Yes, please a patient of mine was brought in here by ambulance."  
  
"Name please?"   
  
"Hobbes, Robert a hit and run I believe."   
  
"The emergency room doc is with him now. She'll be out to speak with you shortly."   
  
"Thank you." Claire turned back to Darien, to shush him.   
  
"Don't demand to see him, just come over here with me and we'll use your talents to make a  
trip to exam room three." She moved him to the side hall  
and Darien nodded understanding. He quicksilvered them both, keeping hold  
of her head to maintain the flow.   
  
Darien bit his tongue to keep from gasping when he saw Bobby, he was pale stripped naked,  
tubes running in both arms. A oxygen thing over his face.   
A huge bruise was spreading over his side, hip and thigh on the left side.  
There was another bruise on his temple. And a bandage covering his wrist.   
Claire had expected worse, if he'd been hit by a truck he was lucky to be alive.  
She could hardly believe he wasn't in surgery already. She watched as the  
doctor continued with her exam. She was listing things down for the nurse  
to make a notation of, "Cracked ribs at least six, we still need that x-ray for  
the internal trauma. If he's got internal bleeding it's not showing up on his readings."   
  
Claire looked over her shoulder at his chart. He wished she could do an exam of her own. But if  
what she was saying were true Bobby was very lucky.   
  
"He's stable, order the x-ray and then come find me." The doctor handed the chart to the nurse  
and left.   
  
The nurse finished writing down orders then, checked on Bobby's readings.   
She made sure his IV line was running free and then went out also.   
  
Claire moved to examine him. Darien allowed the quicksilver to drop off. He reached to take  
Bobby's hand in his. " You'll be alright Bobby, Claire's gotten me out of worse situations."  
  
Claire was checking him over, it didn't appear he'd suffered internal injuries.   
He must have managed to take the impact and roll with it as the boy at the  
store had described.   
"He's not in critical condition, other then the concussion." Claire finally said.   
  
'So he's going to be fine right?" Darien asked, praying that was what she meant.  
  
"Yes, as long as he regain consciousness in the next few days he should be fine."   
  
Darien hugged her, he didn't know what else to do. He was so glad Bobby would  
recover. Claire returned his embrace, allowing herself a moment to send a silent   
prayer of thanks that he was alive. But she knew his head injury could still mean  
he wasn't out of the woods yet.   
  
"I was so scared." Darien confessed.   
  
"Darien, listen to me for a second." She eased back so she could see his face.   
"Bobby isn't as badly injured as he could have been, but his head injury is serious."   
  
"But he's going to wake up soon right?" Darien sounded so hopeful.  
  
"I hope he will, but there is no telling, if he doesn't wake up in the first 72 hours   
or so that isn't good. So we'll wait and watch and pray." She promised.  
  
"Okay, I'll sit with him."   
  
"Excuse me what are you doing in here?" The nurse had returned with the x-ray tech, "You  
aren't allowed back here with out the doctor's permission."  
  
"Yes, I realize that but I'm also a physician. Dr. Claire Keeply, Mr. Hobbes is a  
patient of mine."  
  
"That's fine Doctor, but we need to get in there and take some films. You want   
to step out of there." The tech spoke up.   
  
"Yes, if you could tell me where to find the attending?" Claire asked. She motioned for Darien to  
wait for her.   
  
He didn't want to leave Bobby, but realized they did have to take the X-rays  
to see how serious he was hurt.   
  
Bobby was moved to a room for critical care, and they were allowed to sit with him for a few  
minutes every few hours. Darien was not handling the pressure well. He wanted to just stay with  
Bobby, but they wouldn't allow it. He'd told Claire he was just going to stay quicksilvered the  
entire time. But she'd talked him out of attempting that.   
  
He paced in the waiting room. Claire was trying to read. But she had a hard time  
keep track of he place on the page.   
"I've updated Eberts on Bobby's condition, perhaps we should go home for a few  
hours." she suggested, hoping to get Darien's mind on something else.   
  
"I though we could go in and see him again?"  
  
"We can but not in the middle of the night. The next visiting time is 9:45 in the morning."   
  
"But what if he wakes up?"  
  
"They have promised to beep me. But if you want to stay?" She let him choose.   
  
"I don't know, I feel bad leaving him here alone." Darien stopped by her chair and looked  
down at her.   
  
"They did offer us the spare beds in the intern dorm, you could try and get a nap and clean up a little." She reminded him.   
  
"Yeah, lets do that, it's only on the other side of the building right?"  
  
"Yes, follow the blue line to the lobby then the arrow to the dorm." Claire repeated the directions they had been given.   
  
Darien was feeling kind of in need of a shower. He'd never washed off the chlorine from the pool. Man that seemed like weeks ago now. The wonderful time they had all shared at the pool that morning. Bobby had been so masterful. Darien ached to lay in his arms, or even have Bobby lay in his. It didn't matter so much as long as they were together. He glanced over at Claire she was   
searching thru a stack of scrubs for things for him to wear after his shower.   
  
"Here these should work, they might be a little short in length."   
  
"Thanks," Darien took the scrubs from her. "Claire we both love him, we both are  
worried about him."  
  
She nodded.   
  
"I'm glad we were together when we found out what had happened. We can lean on each other until he's back with us." Darien touched her upper arms with his hands rubbing them in a gesture of support/comfort.  
  
"You're right we can lean on each other." She was fight off the tears that had been threatening all day. "Go and have your shower."   
  
"You sure?"   
"Yes, I'm fine go on." Claire wanted to cry in private if she couldn't cry in Bobby's arms. She didn't know why she felt she couldn't let go in front of   
Darien. Her past relationship with him as his doctor, she guessed. She shouldn't  
appear weak. But things had all changed now. They could never go back to the  
way it had been. Not that she wanted to, she loved them both so much.   
It was just her feelings for Bobby were stronger. Her reactions to him deeper.  
He only had to look at her a certain way and she melted inside.   
  
She sat on the edge of the bed and allowed her self a good cry while Darien was  
in the shower out of ear shot. She was glad the rooms were divided into pairs,  
two bunks per room. She wouldn't have to worry about disturbing the neighbors.  
  
Darien was holding on, Bobby was going to be fine. He believed it, so it had to happen that way. He'd lost so many people he'd loved in his life, he wasn't sure he could withstand losing Bobby. Especially now that they were lovers.   
He'd finally found two people that he loved and who loved him in return. He wasn't about to lose them if he could do anything to prevent it.   
  
Darien found Claire sitting on the end of her bed. She was waiting he guessed.  
But her face was damp. " I thought you said you were fine?"   
  
"I just needed a good cry, do you feel better?"  
  
"Yeah, lots of hot water."  
  
"I'm going to wash up." Claire left with a set of scrubs to change into for herself. She was back again in a few minutes. Darien was stretched out on top of the covers on his bunk. His eyes closed. She hoped he could sleep if only for an   
hour or so. He would need his rest for the days ahead.   
  
Claire lay on her own bunk and tried to relax. But she was still as stressed as before her crying jag.   
  
"Claire could you let me hold you for a little while?" Darien asked from his bed.   
  
"I'm fine Darien really." she thought he was offering because of her tear streaked face before.  
  
"Good, because I could really use someone to hold on to right now." Darien confessed.   
  
Claire moved to join him on his narrow bunk. She rested her head on his   
hard chest, his arm around her slim waist.   
"Yeah thank you, maybe now I can sleep. Are you comfortable?" Darien asked.  
  
"Umm." Was her only response. It wasn't the same as cuddling up with Bobby  
but it certainly would do as her second favorite place to snuggle.   
  
Claire didn't expect to be able to sleep but laying down with Darien would at   
least let her relax for a little while. But she did sleep as did he for several hours.  
  
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  
  
"Sir, I though you would want to know. Agent Hobbes was injured this afternoon."  
  
"Eberts, what are you saying Hobbes was hurt? What happened?"   
The Official barked into his cell phone.  
  
"He was struck down by a car in the parking lot of the local Food Mart Sir.  
He's in critical condition. Dr. Keeply and Darien are there now with him."   
  
"What does she say about his prognosis?"   
  
"She is optimistic that Agent Hobbes will make a full recovery, provided he regains consciousness soon."   
  
"Good, good. Keep me posted. I'll be back late Tuesday."  
  
"Yes, Sir I'll advise you of all developments." Eberts nodded and hung up his home phone.   
  
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  
  
Claire woke with a start, she hadn't meant to sleep at all. She checked her watch, it was near six in the morning. She eased out of Darien's embrace and visited the bathroom.   
  
"What's going on?" Darien was never one to awaken quickly, he opened his eyes to see her dressing in her clothes from the day before.   
  
"Go back to sleep if you can I'm going to go and check on Bobby."   
  
"No, I'm good just give me a minute to, you know...." Darien was up and out of bed quicker than she could ever remember. He was in and out of the bathroom in only five minutes. He wore the scrubs to accompany her back to the critical care unit.   
  
"How's he doing?"   
  
"His vital signs are all strong, no more blood in his urine." The nurse reported to her.   
  
"Good, that's good. It means he was only bruised internally. Oh my." Claire   
regretted saying as soon as she saw how extensive the bruising was. He was black  
and blue from head to mid thigh. The entire left side of his body was discolored. The hospital gown did nothing to hide the dark color.   
  
Darien moved up and took Bobby's hand. "Hey, buddy we're here with you. Come on back and tell us what happened okay?"   
  
Bobby's reading changed when Darien spoke with him, his pulse increased like  
he was trying to let them know he was there.   
  
"Is that good?" Darien asked Claire when Bobby's reading changed.   
  
"It could be, it might mean he's getting closer to consciousness." Claire didn't want to sound to positive and get Darien's hopes up.   
  
"Is it alright if I sit with him for a little while?"   
  
"Yes, but you know they will only allow us fifteen minutes." She nodded.   
  
"Should I talk to him and stuff?"   
  
"Yes, all the research indicated that even in a coma. A person can register the  
presence of people. So talking to him might help." Claire went to   
find Bobby's doctor she was making rounds and had already visited Bobby  
that morning.   
  
Darien pulled the chair in the room close to the bed and held Bobby's hand.   
"Ah, so I don't know how much you remember but you where hit by a truck  
in the parking lot of the Food Mart. You're not hurt bad, mostly lots of bruising. But we are kind of worried that you haven't regain consciousness, so if you're listening to me there Partner, come on back." Darien felt kind of silly talking to Bobby like this, but if it would help then he would.   
  
Claire ran into Eberts in the hall of the hospital on her way back from speaking  
with Bobby's doctor.  
  
"Eberts what are you doing here?"   
  
"I thought perhaps you could you some moral support. How is Robert?"  
  
"He's still unconscious I'm afraid. But his other injuries aren't as serious as they could have been and he's stopped bleeding internally. That is a good sign."   
Claire touched Ebert's arm as she spoke to him. Thanking him silently for   
coming.   
  
"I'll inform the Official, that's good news." He nodded. "Is there anything I can do to help?"   
  
"No, I don't think so." Claire tried to think, then she remembered. Pavlov.  
"Oh, yes there is, Pavlov hasn't been out or fed. Oh I completely forgot when you called with the news about Bobby's accident."  
  
"Not to worry I stopped by your house on the way in, I couldn't find any dog food. So a made a trip to the market, I'll keep an eye on him during Robert's stay here unless you want me to check in with you before a go by the house again."   
  
" Oh Albert you did, thank you so much. No you just stop by when ever you have the time. I'm a terrible person I completely forgot about my own dog." Claire shook her head, she couldn't believe she'd forgotten him.   
  
"Under the circumstances I believe it could have happened to anyone. Don't worry, I'll take care of the little guy." Eberts tried to reassure her.   
  
Darien was being escorted out of Bobby's room by a nurse who had hold of his elbow.  
  
"Hey, I said I was going, let go." Darien tried to shake her vice like grip off, but she was a middle aged nurse who wasn't afraid of a skinny rule breaker like him.   
  
"These rules about visiting hours are for a reason, I told you your time was up, now go on." She urged Darien to move into the hallway.   
  
"I'm going." Darien glared at her, but she just glared back.   
  
"Eberts. Hey, man good to see you." Darien greeted his fellow Agency employee.  
  
"Hello Darien, how is Robert?"   
  
"He's hanging in there, I think he knew I was talking to him in there. His monitors were all reading differently." Darien explained.   
  
"That sounds good?" Eberts turned to Claire for her opinion.  
  
"Yes, talking to him might help."   
  
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  
  
Two days later and Bobby was still in the same condition. Perhaps slightly less responsive. Darien was breaking the rules to sit with him more often. He did it quicksilvered if he had too. The nurse that had thrown him out on the first day was the hardest to fool that he was there. She was forever checking on Bobby's readings, not just letting the monitors...well monitor him. Darien had come close to being caught in the room twice by the Dragon lady nurse.   
  
Claire was spending her share of time in Bobby's room. She was also contacting as many specialist in coma cases as she could. She wanted to make sure everything possible was being done to help him regain consciousness.   
  
But by the fourth day she was beginning to lose perspective.   
  
"Dr. I've spoken with Agent Hobbes's Physician, she informs me that if he doesn't regain consciousness in the next few days he probably won't." The Official found Claire outside Bobby's room on the morning of the fourth day.   
  
"That is not strictly accurate. His chances of making a full recovery begin to diminish after seventy two hours. But the chance that he will regain consciousness after that time don't change, the longer he is unconscious."   
  
"So you are expecting him to fully recover?" The Official sounded a little hopeful.  
  
" I can't say that, but it's much to soon to give up hope that he won't."   
  
"Do his odds improve if you are here or not here?"   
  
"No, my presence is not required." Claire knew where he was going with this now  
Both she and Darien had been off work for almost a week. He needed them to come  
back to work.   
  
"Then I'll expect you to be back to work in the morning. Darien has work to do  
and I'm sure you are still working on that research that was approved."   
  
"Yes, Sir." Claire didn't argue with because she knew it wouldn't do any good.  
  
"I'll tell Fawkes to return to work where is he?"   
  
"I believe Darien is in the chapel."   
  
Darien was in the chapel. He was finding he needed help keeping positive thoughts for Bobby. He'd been sure his Partner would be awake by now and giving him grief over the hospital food or something.   
  
The Official found Darien in the second pew from the front. But as he wasn't kneeling he moved in to sit beside him.   
"Darien I know this has hit you hard. But Dr. Keeply assures me that Bobby will   
recover it's just taking longer than expected. In the meantime, I'd like for you both to return to work."  
  
"No, I won't work with anyone else. I tried it at the Bureau and didn't like it. I'll wait until Bobby's ready to go back." Darien informed his boss.  
  
"I know you think you can call the shots now, since you don't need the counteragent but if you feel this strongly about your Partner's welfare then you'll come back now. If we don't bring in some new revenue soon, we won't be able to pay the medical insurance premium that is paying for Hobbes' treatment." The Official black mailed Darien.   
  
"I'll pay for Bobby's treatment." Darien snarled at the Official.  
  
" With what? I know how little we pay you, you can't have much saved for an emergency. It won't last long if you don't return to work and a paycheck."   
  
"Then I'll use the quicksilver and steal some money." Darien reminded his boss.  
  
"You could, you might even return to your old habits. But we both know you've grown since those days. If you have another choice you'll choose working for the Agency."   
  
"Leave me along." Darien growled, he hated to admit it but the Fatman was right.   
  
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  
  
"Did you get the word?" Darien found Claire later that afternoon.   
  
"Yes, we are to report to work tomorrow. Maybe if I go back he'll let you stay for a few more days." She offered, not wanting to leave Bobby, but knowing it couldn't be helped.  
  
"The Fat Man told he he'd pull Bobby's medical coverage if I don't go back and earn some revenue for the Agency." Darien complained. "Claire I don't want to leave him here alone. What are you going to do?"   
  
"Darien I don't know, perhaps if we both were to talk to him it might jolt him into waking up." She was just grasping at straws now, she hated not knowing how to help Bobby or ease Darien's distress.   
  
"Let's give it a try, the next time no one is looking I'll quicksilver us both and we'll go in there and give it a try." Darien sounded determined.   
  
They waited in the hall just down from Bobby's room. When all the nurses were busy Darien quicksilvered them both and they slipped into his room.   
  
"Hey, there Buddy it's me again and I've got Claire with me this time." Darien touched Bobby's hand. It felt almost cold to him now, like Bobby was pulling back.   
  
"Bobby Love, we need for you to come back now. It's very important that you wake up." Claire moved to the other side of the bed and stroked her hand over his temple.   
  
"The Official is insisting that we go back to work. But we don't want to leave you alone. So if you could, you know, come back and start getting better..." Darien kind of trailed off. It even sounded stupid to him to be asking a man in a coma to wake up.   
  
Claire was fighting back tears, she didn't want to cry in his room but she was getting a terrible feeling that he was never going to recover. She looked over at Darien, trying to draw some strength from him. But now that she had finally allowed her feelings to come out she found she needed to lean on Bobby for strength. But he was the one she needed to be strong for. Claire suddenly couldn't see him so helpless. The man she loved more than she ever thought was possible. She gasped, "I'm so sorry." And ran from the room.   
  
Darien called after her, "Claire?"   
He was torn between following her and staying with his Partner.   
He stayed with Bobby a few minutes longer, holding on to his hand with both of his. Telling him, " We need you with us Bobby, we're all falling apart with out you. You're the reason we're together in the first place. You're the glue that holds us together."   
  
"I thought I heard voiced. Alright Mr Fawkes out of here, I've told you before and I'm getting tired of repeating myself. Mr. Hobbes needs quiet times. Now leave." Dragon nurse snarled at Darien.   
  
"Okay I'm going." Darien gave Bobby's hand one last squeeze and went looking  
for Claire. It took him nearly a half an hour to locate her, out in the patio area.   
  
"Claire, don't give up on him like that." Darien wanted to comfort her while at  
the same time chew her out for sounding so hopeless about Bobby.   
  
"I'm sorry." Claire was a little more composed now, but her face was tear streaked.  
"We have to believe he'd come around, you said so yourself. A positive attitude can help him." Darien moved to sit beside her.   
  
"I know, but seeing him laying there so pale... I'll do better I'm a Doctor I'm used to seeing people who've been injured." She attempted to put a brave face on her laps of behavior.   
  
"I understand, but it didn't work. I guess we are going to have to take turns   
visiting him now. That and report back to work."   
  
"I'll stay tonight until visiting hours are over." Claire agreed with him.  
  
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  
  
Darien reported for work on time the next morning, he wanted to give the Official no reason to keep him late at the end of the day. Of course it did kind of depend on the case he would be working on.   
  
"Darien, Alex will be joining you on this case in a few days. But for now you need to become familiar with the target and keep and eye on him." The Official told Darien at his morning briefing.   
  
"Okay fine, where is this guy and who is this guy?" Darien only was willing to do as he was told until he could get back out on his own. He would check on the target then run by the hospital and look in on Bobby. Claire had called him when she got home last night. She'd sounded exhausted. Bobby condition was the same.   
  
Claire worked all day in the lab, catching up on several of her research projects. She was deep in concentration when Darien arrived back from the hospital.   
  
"Claire he squeezed my hand, that's a good sign isn't it?" Darien sounded very excited. He grabbed her up from the chair and kissed her on the mouth.   
  
"Well yes it could be, but then it might have just been a reflex action."   
  
"No, no I don't want you to explain it away like that. I was a good thing."   
Darien let go of her and turned away. "You just refuse to think anything good  
is going to develop for him, because he hasn't fit the profile." Darien accused her.  
  
"Darien please, I just don't want you to get your hopes up." She tried to explain.   
  
"I don't need your negative attitude I'm out of here." Darien would have slammed out of the Keep, but the door wasn't slamable.   
  
He drove back to hospital and sat with Bobby invisible for an hour. By then he   
couldn't think what to talk about anymore and it was almost time for the Dragon nurse to start her shift. Then he drove around for another few hours, but he felt so alone. The person he would usually turn to when he felt this way was Bobby.   
  
He went to Claire's house just after midnight.   
  
"Darien is that you?" Claire was laying awake, so when he knocked at the door she answered it in a few seconds.   
  
"I'm sorry, I had no right to say those things, It's just that I love him so much...." Darien was nearly sobbing.   
  
"Darien, you don't have to apologize." Claire welcomed him inside and hugged him close. Darien embraced her in return, almost crushing her with the force of his arms around her body. He didn't know his own strength sometimes, especially when he was upset.  
  
"I'm sorry Claire."   
  
"Shh, stop saying that, I had my little blow up the other day, you had yours today it's forgotten." She moaned when he released her enough so that she could look into his eyes. "If I didn't know better I'd say you were getting over loaded with quicksilver."  
  
"I haven't slept much." Darien told her something she also seemed to be having trouble doing. Sleep seemed like something she used to do a long time ago.   
  
"Come upstairs and lay down, maybe you can sleep in the big bed." She was teasing him a little because he'd once made such a fuss about the size of her bed.   
  
"Are you sure?" He hesitated. He well remembered the last time he'd been alone  
with her in her bedroom. Not that he'd been in control then, but he was sure she  
remembered also.   
  
"I'm positive." She nodded.   
  
Darien took a hot shower and then pulled on a pair of sweat pants he kept at Claire's since they'd all gotten together. He didn't know why he felt like he was doing something wrong. But he felt awkward. Claire was sitting up in bed trying to read a medical journal that she'd sent for about coma cases.   
  
"I'll just lay down here." Darien said softly, trying to pretend he wasn't there.   
  
"I'm done reading, let's try and get some sleep." She turned off her light.   
  
Darien was laying very still, on his back arms by his side. He wasn't comfortable but he was afraid to move, afraid he'd spook Claire. He wanted to hold her, like he had the first night in the intern dorm room. But here in this room he was afraid to even ask her if she'd like him to. He sighed.   
  
"Darien?"   
  
"Yeah."   
  
"I want to... call in my marker." She spoke softly, at catch in her voice.  
  
"Come here." He turned towards her slightly and lifted the covers so she could scoot over next to him. Claire knew the Darien she'd been attacked by wasn't the same man that she was laying beside now. She wanted him to know that she'd forgiven him long ago for that night. She also wanted to feel like there was hope for Bobby, and she was going to try again to draw some strength from Darien's reserve.   
  
Once she was settled, her head on his shoulder and upper chest he sighed again, this time in contentment. Claire felt secure for the first time since Bobby's accident. Her cheek on his bare chest felt so good. She felt guilty that she was enjoying his embrace. But she felt him relax and then begin to breath deeply. She followed him into sleep, a peaceful dreamless sleep for the first time all week.   
  
Darien woke up first, Claire was still beside him, but no long resting on his chest. Her face was pressed into his side, he was still on his back. He opened a eye to see that the sun was just coming up. He'd not slept this long all week. He checked his watch for the time. Six fifty, he had a few minutes to wake up before he had to get dressed and head into work. He stretched and groaned as his muscles worked after being still all night.  
He was in mid stretch when he realized he was also completely aroused. His penis stretched up past his waist in a very hard swollen arch of male prowess. His sweat pants bulged with the massive size of his arousal.   
  
Claire woke up at the sound of his groan. She blinked and focused on his chest first. Then as she moved to a sitting position she noticed his condition.   
"Morning are you feeling better?" She asked as innocently as she could manage.  
  
"Yeah, thanks for asking me to stay." Darien tried to pretend he wasn't aroused. He moved to the side of the bed, and stretched again.   
  
But Claire knew with him, it didn't just go away. He needed her as much as she wanted him. "Darien, would you .... that is I'd like to..." she started then stalled.   
  
"Sorry?" He turned to look at her. The bulge in his pants pushing out noticeably as he shifted position to look at her.   
  
Claire chewed her lip, she felt like she was betraying Bobby, by desiring Darien. But if he was there he'd be telling her to go ahead.   
"You're very aroused this morning."   
  
"Oh, you noticed. I wasn't going to..."  
  
"I'd like if you would." She interrupted him.   
  
"You want me?"   
  
"Yes, very much."  
  
"This doesn't mean anything, I mean we still love him just as much as ever."  
Darien was babbling, but he moved to her side of the bed and lifted her into his lap. He lowered his sweat pants and showed her his huge erection. Then he pushed up the hem of her night gown and brought his cock head into contact with her softness. He rubbed just his pulsing tip against her for several minutes, teasing her opening. Claire was ready for him to thrust inside deeply. But he continued to tease her, his swollen shaft very hard between her legs.  
"Is that good Keepie? I want you to enjoy this as much as I will." Darien was trying his best to give her a completely different experience with him than before.   
  
"Darien please." She grasped his hardness in her hand and fondled the swollen   
organ, tugging and pulling. Darien groaned and his penis surged up even more.   
Claire gasped with the feel of him in her hands, she'd never fondled him this much before he was beautifully made, long, thick, and so very hard. She tugged at him to mount her, pushing his tip up inside her opening.   
  
"You want me to take you? Or do you want to ride me?" He offered.  
  
"I want you ..." She panted.   
Claire was very aroused, she needed to feel him thrusting into her, and she needed it now.  
  
Darien shifted positions with her, and rammed his cock hard between her legs, pinning her to the mattress under him. Claire moaned in pleasure, her fingers digging into his back.  
  
"Yes, yes feels so big and hard." She praised him.  
Darien was keeping control but just barely, he'd been aroused now for nearly a quarter hour, he needed this as much as she wanted it. He thrust forward and groaned deeply, she was hot, tight and wet.   
"Talk to me Keepie, tell me what you want, what you feel." Darien urged her to let him hear her pleasure. He raised up and rammed down hard grinning his pubic bone into her. Sending his swollen cock to the hilt inside her warmth.   
  
"Yes, ahh........ feels so good." She panted. Darien was pumping over her  
ramming his erection to the hilt with each powerful thrust. She was near a climax and she begged for him to give it to her.   
  
"You're so hard, my love, so huge and long ... Yes! Yes that's it." Claire climaxed as he pumped over her, he followed only seconds after her, panting.  
  
"So good, ...I needed that..." Darien swallowed, and tried to not collapse on top of her.  
  
Claire felt wonderful and at the same time guilty for enjoying being with Darien when Bobby was still laying unconscious in the hospital.   
"Darien I think we both needed that. It doesn't mean we love Him any less."   
  
"I know, it just felt kind of wrong. Not that I don't love you, ...." He fumbled for the right words.   
  
"I understand." She put her finger tip to his lips and shushed him.   
  
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  
  
Darien was dressed and ready to leave for work before Claire so he walked Pavlov. Eberts was just coming up the front walk when they were returning from the little dog's walk.   
  
"Hey, Eberts I guess we should have let you know. We spent the night here last night. Pavlov is all set until later." Darien patted Eberts on the shoulder.   
  
"Yes, I see, I'll go onto work then. Tell Claire I stopped by." Eberts stopped and greeted Darien.   
  
"Okay, thanks for all your help with the dog. I'll tell her you where here." Darien waved as Eberts walked back towards his car.   
  
"Oh there you are, I'm about to leave are you ready?"   
  
"Yeah, just making sure he's had his potty break." Darien un hooked the leash and Pavlov ran over to Claire.   
  
"Thank you, he's really not getting the attention he needs these days.'  
  
"Oh Eberts was here, I thanked him for checking in on Pavlov."   
  
"Eberts is your best buddy isn't he sweetie." Claire hugged her dog and then set him down on the floor again.   
  
"Well I'll see you later, I have to report in." Darien rolled his eyes. He stood up from where he'd been leaning on the couch back. Moved forward to hug Claire goodbye.  
  
"You be careful, I've got enough to worry about as it is." She hugged him in return. But Darien was holding on, curling himself around her, like he wanted this embrace to last them both for awhile.   
  
"I will be, I'm going to stop and see Bobby first chance I get, then I'll give you a call."   
  
"Alright, I was going to check on him this afternoon."   
  
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  
  
Bobby groaned and opened his eyes, blinking several times to try and help his eyes adjust to the lights. He saw Claire standing beside his bed, clipboard in hand as always.   
"Bobby, Bobby can you hear me?"   
"Claire" He tried, it came out a croak, he swallowed and tried again.   
"Claire is Fawkes alright?"   
"Yes, Darien is fine how do you feel?" She moved a step forward, a huge smile on her face.  
"Like I got run over by a stampede of longhorns or something. What happened?"  
Bobby tried to clear his throat, but it hurt when he did so.   
"Here, sip this it should help with the dryness." Claire held a glass of water with a straw up to his mouth.   
Bobby reached to hold the glass himself, he felt weak, but he didn't need her to feed him. " Thanks."   
"What do you remember?" Claire was thrilled he was awake, and talking. He looked better, his color was good. He seemed himself.   
"Oh, man don't tell me this is true. Arnaud got away didn't he?"   
"Yes, but that was some time ago, what else do you remember?"   
"Ah, you're working on turning off the toxic effects of the quicksilver. Darien was really bummed about that Swiss-miss mother escaping. What? Did I forget something?" Bobby asked.   
Claire paused, she could very well effect her entire future with him and Darien. If she broke the news to him that they were together. If he didn't remember that, it might be best to not tell him. Or at least not yet.   
"Bobby those things you remember are from a month ago, it's the middle of May. You were injured by a hit and run driver in a parking lot. Darien wasn't with you, it took us several hours to locate where you had been taken."  
"Oh, so I have some memory loss. Okay well maybe it will come back to me."   
He didn't sound worried about it.   
"How long was I out?" he was expecting her to tell him a day or so.  
"Over a week, I was starting to get very worried, Darien has been sitting with   
you almost the entire time. He will be thrilled you finally woke up."   
"Where is Fawkes?"  
"The Official pulled him back to duty yesterday, he was here this morning."   
She explained.   
"I'm kind of hungry. Do you think I could have something to eat?"   
"Yes, of course I'll go and see to it." Claire touched her hand to his arm, just so she could assure herself that he was really awake. Then hurried out. She found the nurse and had Bobby's regular Doctor informed of his condition. Then she placed a call to Darien to warn him that Bobby didn't remember about them all being together.   
  
Bobby tried to check out his condition, he was sore all over, even his feet hurt. He'd had  
cracked ribs before so he knew that pain, but his hip, and leg were also very tender.   
He was attempting to get a look at his injury when Claire returned with a tray of food.  
"Here you are, not anything very tasty, but we have to start you on soft food for a day or  
two. You were bruised inside and out."   
"Thanks Claire, what are my official injuries any way? I see I'm black, blue and purple all   
up and down my left side here." Bobby was looking at his side under the sheets.   
"You really were very lucky from the accounts I've heard of the accident. A large pick up  
truck hit you, and sent you flying. They said you rolled with the impact, it's what saved you   
from more serious injury. You have several broken ribs, bruised internal organs, your  
liver, kidney on the left side, and of course a concussion. But now that you have regained  
consciousness we don't have to worry about that." She smiled.   
"Great how long am I going to be stuck here?"   
"I'd say at least a few more days."   
"So are you going to be around?"  
"Yes, I'll be back and forth. I've also been recalled to my regular duties, but I'll be  
checking up on you everyday."   
"Great, it's nice to see.. you know, people you know, when you're cooped up." Bobby   
almost blushed at his admitting he liked seeing her.   
  
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  
  
"Darien?"  
  
"Yeah, what's up?"  
  
"Bobby's awake and he seems fine."   
  
Claire pulled her phone away from her ear as she heard Darien whoop with joy.  
"Alright! I'll be there to see him in an hour."  
  
"Darien listen to me, I have to tell you something." She tried to gain his attention.  
  
"What? You said he seemed fine."  
  
"He does seem fine, but his last memory is from the day Arnaud escaped. He doesn't seem to remember anything at all about the three of us."  
  
"So we'll tell him, what's the problem?" Darien said then paused. Whoa wait a minute.  
  
"Darien I don't think that is a very good idea. At least not yet. If he doesn't remember us all being together, it might not be a good idea to just tell him. I'd like to wait and see if he remembers, at least at first."   
  
"Yeah, you could be right about that, it might really stress him out to be told just like that we are all a couple."   
  
"Yes, and if he doesn't remember. I was thinking that perhaps we might reconsider our position on this." She didn't like bringing it up, but there was very little chance of them  
all being able to all stay together. Who would be best for Bobby, who would he most  
likely be able to maintain a relationship with.   
  
"Whoa, wait a minute. You think only one of us should tell him that we are with him?"  
Darien knew she was underhanded, but he'd never expected this from her.   
  
"Think about it Darien, Bobby had enough of a challenge just holding his life together. Does he really need two of us fighting over him constantly? I think we should talk this over, face to face. Why don't you meet me here in an hour?"   
  
"Yeah, I think you're right, we need to talk." Darien closed his phone. Crap!  
He wasn't giving up Bobby, forget that idea. They had a connection, on all levels. He bailed on his assignment and headed for the car.   
  
He considered Claire's proposal. Would it be bad for Bobby's mental health for him to try and maintain both of them as his lovers? Darien hadn't initially liked the idea of sharing him with Claire. Not all the time. But after observing them together, seeing  
how much he loved her. He'd conceded the point. He'd share if it made Bobby happy.  
Now she wanted him all to herself. After the past few days, he'd been feeling closer to  
Claire. If Bobby hadn't been the man they assigned him as a partner two years ago,  
he probably would have fallen in love with Claire eventually. But he had grown to love  
Bobby instead. His not quite stable, Brooklyn accented, compact but strong Partner.  
  
Darien parked his car and headed for the patio area where Claire had said she'd meet  
him.   
"Okay, why do you think we have to decide this for him? What if he remembers on  
his own? What if we tell him one thing and then he remembers later the truth?"  
Darien jumped right into the discussion.   
  
"That's what I said Darien, we need to wait and see. But if he doesn't remember   
within a day or so he probably won't."   
  
"Then couldn't we just break it to him gently, you know at his place or something after he is released from the hospital. Are you saying you think he can't take it?"  
  
"No, but if he doesn't remember it is our chance to make the break easy for him.  
Did you really think that all three of us was going to last?" Claire hated pushing this but she felt it was in Bobby's best interest.   
  
"You want him to yourself, that's what this is all about." Darien hissed at her.  
  
"No, I thought since it would be much more difficult for you and he to work together if you had to give him up, that you and he should be the pair." She surprised him with her statement.   
  
"You do? But Claire he loves you so much, he deserves the chance to have you   
as part of his life." Darien was defending her.   
  
"I love him too, more than I thought was possible. That is just why I think we shouldn't tell him. You and he are perfectly paired. If he doesn't remember me being part of his private life, then maybe we should keep it that way."  
  
"You think you're protecting him from losing one of us, by taking yourself out of the equation?"   
  
"Yes," She nodded and stood up.  
  
"It won't work Claire, he'll remember. He may remember now and is just to unsure of his memories to mention anything to you. I'll bet when he sees me he'll give us a signal that he does remember."  
  
"Do you think he's confused? She hadn't considered the possibility. Promise me you won't tell him."  
  
"I won't tell him. But I think he'll know." Darien stood up, and walked with her to Bobby's room.  
  
"Hey, Partner where have you been?" Bobby greeted Darien, a smile on his face.  
  
"Same old thing, how are you Bobby? I'm glad to see you awake and everything."  
Darien moved up to the bed and they did their handshake thing, finishing with   
knocking their fists together.   
  
"I'm good, I'm sore a hell, but Claire said I'm not hurt serious." Bobby nodded.  
  
"Yeah, you took the hit from the truck like a professional stunt man or something. The witness said you rolled with the impact."   
  
"I must have seen it coming at the last second." Bobby shrugged.  
  
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  
  
"Okay you're right he doesn't remember. But he will, I know he will."   
Darien promised her.   
  
Bobby sighed after they left his room. He was tired, just from the little effort it had taken to talk to them both. He lay back on the pillow and closed his eyes. He'd almost let slip how he felt when Claire was with him. Having Darien in the room helped. He was used to hiding his feelings from his Partner. At least his feelings for his Partner. He exhaled, things would get back to normal soon, once he was out of the hospital and back to work.   
  
Bobby hated waiting, especially when he knew it was just Fawkes being late as usual. He could sign himself out and take a cab home. But no Darien had insisted that he drive him home. The last three days in the hospital had been rough, Claire and Darien popping in to visit him at odd hours. He'd almost been caught twice. He shifted in his seat and concentrated on going home. But he'd felt it building again, he had a very urgent need. Being cooped up in the hospital for two weeks had thrown off his system. Since he'd woken up, he'd been having almost spontaneous erections. They did have a cause, usually it was Claire, but sometimes it was Fawkes. He had it bad for both of them.  
He'd had it locked down before his accident, it looked like he was going to have to learn control all over again.   
  
"Hey Partner, sorry I'm late. The van is all ready for you." Darien came strolling into Bobby's room.   
  
Bobby covered his lap with his jacket and glared at Fawkes. "It's about time, you were suppose to be here an hour ago?"   
  
"Yeah, I'm sorry, come on let's get you out of here." Darien grabbed hold of the wheelchair handles and began to push the wheelchair down the hall to the elevators.   
  
Bobby kept his jacket over his lap, his arousal was throbbing. Darien's presence making him even more swollen, and in need. He shifted in his chair again.   
  
"Almost there," Darien was taking Bobby's discomfort for wanting to get the hell away from the hospital.  
  
"Okay, curb side service." Darien wheeled the chair over to the van.   
  
Bobby stood up, then quickly climbed into the passenger seat of the van.  
Darien wasn't watching closely, but he did manage to catch a glimpse of a huge  
bulge in his Partner's pants. Darien smiled. Ah so it is still there, we're going to have to see what you remember.   
  
"Want to stop by the dinner and grab something to eat?" Darien asked.   
  
"No, take me home." Bobby was trying to pretend everything was the same as ever.  
  
"Okay, home it is." He pulled the van out onto the street and headed east.   
"How are you feeling?"  
  
"Good, I'll be back to normal in a few days."   
  
"Bobby do you remember anything more about the days before the accident?"  
  
"No still drawing a blank on that, no memory more recent than Arnaud's escape."   
  
"Umm, that's to bad. I was kind of hoping you remembered something we'd talked   
about." Darien hinted.   
  
"So tell me, what's the big deal?"  
  
"I promised Claire I wouldn't tell you. She thinks it might set back your recovery."  
  
"Oh, well that is her specialty."   
  
Darien parked the van, and climbed out.   
  
"You don't have to see me up, I'm okay." Bobby protested.  
  
"I need to use your john, should have gone back at the hospital." Darien fibbed.  
  
"Yeah, okay come on." Bobby led the way and unlocked his door.   
  
Darien used the bathroom anyway, then found Bobby standing in his kitchen.  
"Want me to hang with you for awhile?"  
  
Bobby was experiencing a very strange memory, him and Darien making out  
on his couch. He froze, shook his head. Looked at Fawkes. Darien was smiling.  
"You sure you're okay?"   
  
"I don't know. I keep getting these flashes."  
  
"Flashes, you mean like lights in your eyes?"  
  
"No, memories, but they seem wrong."  
  
"If you forgot stuff how can you tell?"  
  
Bobby swallowed, and looked away from his Partner.   
Was is possible that he and Fawkes were lovers, but for some reason they weren't telling him?   
  
"What are the flashes of?" Darien was worried now.   
  
"You, and me."   
  
"Yeah, what else?"  
  
"Fawkes this is really weird." Bobby looked back into Darien's eyes again. He swore he saw the desire there, he'd seen it twice before now. At the hospital and just now when he was in the van. " Did I kiss you before?"   
  
"Yeah, we did a lot more than just kiss." Darien smiled, and moved closer to Bobby.  
  
"Are we paired off? How long has it been?" Bobby asked just before Darien covered his mouth and drew their hard bodies together.   
  
Bobby kissed Darien back, the feelings where still there even if the memories weren't.  
  
"Oh, yeah that's more like it." Darien sighed, once their lips parted. "You're hard for me just like always." Darien moved his crotch into better contact with Bobby's erection and groaned. "It's been about a month, Claire knows but we haven't told anyone."   
  
"A month, and you weren't going to tell me? Why not?" Bobby was thrusting his hips into Darien's body as he asked.  
  
"Claire thought we should let you regain your memory rather than fill all the blanks in for you." Darien explained.   
  
" I love you Partner, that hasn't changed." Bobby pulled Darien's head back for another deep passion filled kiss. Darien was thrilled he had his Bobby back.  
  
"Umm, that's more like it. Come on, you've been hard long enough." Darien led  
Bobby towards the bedroom. He was thinking he'd really been missing having  
Bobby over him, pounding him hard. Then it occurred to him that this was kind  
of like their first time together he might need to keep things less intense.   
  
Bobby was hesitating a little. He'd removed his shirt, and was now staring at   
Darien who was naked, very aroused and waiting for him. He didn't remember   
the details like this, his Partner was magnificent. All lean muscle, long limbs,  
tight abs. His erection was beautiful, long arched into his body, stretching past his waist.   
  
"I thought we could go slow. Unless you want to choose."   
Darien offered.  
  
Bobby dropped his shirt, " You look so hot Partner. Who made the first move last   
time?"  
  
"You did, caught me when I was half asleep and kissed me to within a inch of my life."  
Darien smiled.   
  
Bobby nodded, he didn't remember. He began to unfasten his pants.   
"I think you're going to have to lead me tonight."   
  
" Okay, you look so powerful Bobby, you don't remember that either do you?"  
Darien said reaching to stroke his hand over Bobby's sculpted chest.   
  
"Remember what?" He folded his pants and put them on the dresser.   
  
"How much I love to touch you, you seemed to enjoy it before." Darien exhaled  
as his fingers traveled over the hard rise of Bobby's pectoral muscle.   
  
"Umm yeah, I like that." Bobby moaned.   
  
Darien moved in even closer and captured Bobby's hard muscled body against his.  
He shifted them to laying on the bed, Bobby over him, so he could guide their motions. He moved so their erections would rub together, he felt Bobby's cock jump with the contact.   
"Easy Bobby, just let it happen, it won't take long the first time." Darien continued to move their erections together, the friction of two hard bodies rubbing making him ready to climax. Bobby was nearly there, his breathing was ragged, his hips were pumping faster, harder.   
  
"Oh man....yeah." Bobby groaned out as his cock exploded.   
Darien was only a step behind him, his hips thrusting hard into his lover's body as he achieved orgasm.   
  
"I love you so much." Darien confessed.   
  
"Same here Dare, I can't believe I forgot this even for a little while." Bobby embraced Darien's long hard body tightly. He sighed and rested against the younger man. He was sure once he regained his strength that there were other things they could do.   
  
Darien sighed moved into rest against Bobby, then paused.   
"Is this Okay? You're side isn't still sore?"  
  
"No, feels good. You like to cuddle as much as I do? That's weird." Bobby wrapped his arm around his partner and closed his eyes.   
  
"Yeah, I thought so too last time. We take turns with everything, except maybe this." Darien told him  
  
"What do you mean?" Bobby inhaled and settled Darien even closer into his side.   
  
"We both top one another, but you hold me. It's the way we both seem to prefer it." Darien nuzzled his cheek into Bobby's chest. The closeness, he couldn't get enough of the closeness.   
  
"Yeah sounds right, I've always liked to keep my partner close to me." Bobby smiled.  
  
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  
  
"Claire, he's back, he remembered last night when I took him home. He remembered that he and I were together. He didn't say anything about you." Darien broke the news to her.  
  
"He did, that's wonderful ..... I expected as much." She turned to face Darien as he joined her in the lab.  
  
"That doesn't mean he won't, it's only been four days. Something about seeing me in his place jogged his memory, maybe we should take him and you both to my place were it all started?" Darien was still in favor of returning to the way it had been.   
  
"No, you and Bobby will be very happy together I'm sure." she tried to pretend she wasn't upset that she'd lost him that quickly. She turned back to her work, but Darien wouldn't let her.  
  
"No, no don't even try and pretend you don't care. I've seen you in his arms, you melt when he touches you Claire. You can't just give that up." Darien was challenging her again.   
  
"I can if it's the best thing for him." She fought back tears.   
  
"I say it's his decision to make too, not just yours." Darien fought on.  
  
"Not if you don't tell him about all of us. He hasn't remembered it all, then he probably won't. His subconscious has chosen, he loves you more. That's why he doesn't remember that I was part of the three. Now it's just you and him." She insisted.  
  
"He'll remember Claire. You just have to believe he will."   
  
"I can't, because I've already made peace with the fact he forgot me." She sobbed and ran from the Keep.  
  
Bobby returned to work the following week. His doctor had given him permission to work but he wasn't to try and work out or do any field work until his ribs were completely healed.   
  
The first time he entered the Keep after his accident, he was bombarded with memories. Claire smiling at him, Claire worried about him. Claire scolding Fawkes. Then feelings washed in his heart clenched. She knew, she knew he loved her. Then why was she behaving like they had never been together? Had he fought with her just before his accident. Did she feel some how responsible. Bobby was overcome with questions.   
  
"Hi, Claire how are you?" He stopped near the door.   
  
"Oh, Bobby how nice to see you. Are you back on duty?" She'd known all along he  
was due back today, she'd had to make herself report to work that morning. She'd   
wanted to stay in bed and cry.   
  
Darien had made himself scarce for Bobby's first trip to the Keep. He didn't want to confuse anything Bobby might feel, or remember.   
  
"Yeah, just stopped by to say Hi." He smiled, taking a tentative step into the lab further.  
  
"How are you feeling then?" She asked, still not looking at him.   
  
"Good, almost back to my fighting weight." He patted his stomach.  
  
Claire looked up at him then, and had to force herself to stay in her chair. When what she wanted to do more than anything in the world was run over to him and throw her arms around his shoulders, bury her face against his throat and feel his arms around her one last time.   
  
"How is your current project going?" Bobby asked to be polite.  
He was feeling like normally she would be happier to see him. He wished they would just tell him what had happened.   
  
"I've almost isolated the correct gene for the Beta C formula to be more effective and safe."   
  
"Hey, that's great there Claire. The Official will be pleased."   
  
"Yes, he will." She moved to pick up her clipboard.  
  
"You know I was sitting there at home thinking. I keep remembering a conversation that you and I had, only it doesn't make sense to me now." Bobby explained.  
  
"Oh what did we talk about?"  
  
"See that is were I'm confused. I was apologizing to you for not keeping you safe. But I don't know from what or who and I think we were at your place. Did that really happen?"  
  
"Yes, Darien went Quicksilver Mad just before his last gene therapy treatment and attacked me. I managed to get away and give him a counteragent injection."  
Claire edited what had really happened.  
  
"So it did happen?" Bobby nodded, but he didn't remember.   
  
"Yes, but that's all in the past."   
  
"What about the other things I'm remembering?"   
  
Claire thought for a second he might remember she loved him and he loved her.  
But she couldn't read his eyes this time.  
"What else are you remembering?"  
  
"Bits and pieces of things." Bobby hedged his answer because he was remembering  
making love to her. Only she wasn't behaving like they had ever been intimate.  
He felt the same love for her he'd been hiding all those months. He'd thought he   
might have dreamed things that just seemed so real to him. Darien and he were  
together, it didn't seem possible that Claire was also a part of his personal life in that way too. But he wanted to talk to her, see if she would admit something.  
  
"From the research I did into coma patient, I've learned that your memory will  
work like that for up to a year. Bits and pieces of things will come back to you   
after the trauma. You may never regain all of those memories, it's very rare that everything will come back. What has Darien told you?"  
  
"Nothing." Bobby sighed.  
  
"He's following my advice then." She nodded.   
  
"Claire what can it hurt for you to tell me the parts I don't remember?"  
Bobby felt so strongly that she was hiding something from him.  
  
"You might not be remembering for a reason Bobby. I 'd hate to jeopardize a  
full recovery."   
  
"If I ask you about things, will you tell me if it happened?"  
  
"Yes, I just did, didn't I?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess you did." Bobby wanted to know why she was hiding her feelings  
from him. He was sure those memories were true, but he couldn't bring himself   
to ask her.  
  
"Well it's good to have you back. I'm sure Darien is thrilled to have you back."   
She smiled then turned back to her work.   
  
"Yeah, it's good to be back. I'll catch you later Claire."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Okay Partner we need to talk, and I don't want anymore of this 'I promised Claire I wouldn't say anything crap'." Bobby pulled Darien into his office.   
  
"Whoa slow down Hobbesey, what's the matter?"  
  
"I know you and her are hiding something from me and I want to know what it is?"  
Bobby was serious, he wasn't taking no for an answer.   
  
"What do you think it is?" Darien asked, hedging his answer.  
  
"I think that I love her, and she knows I do. What happened just before the accident?  
Did I confess to her and she laughed in my face?"   
  
"No, nothing like that. Claire cares about you man." Darien defended her.   
  
"Then why do I keep getting the feeling she would rather not have me around?"  
Bobby frowned, and paced to the other side of his office.   
  
Darien thought about his possible answers. He could tell Bobby everything and   
risk telling him too much. He could hint around some more about things, or he  
could just wait like he promised he would.   
"Bobby I promise you it's nothing bad, the stuff you aren't remembering was  
all good. Aside from me going quicksilver mad again, things have been good."  
  
"Then why won't she let you tell me?"  
  
"She wants you to remember it, she thinks if you don't then you're blocking the  
memory to protect yourself somehow." Darien explained.  
  
"If it's all good, then what am I protecting myself from?" Bobby turned back to  
face his partner.   
  
Darien just kind of gave a shrug for his answer.   
  
Bobby, Darien and another agent all went on a short case that morning. Bobby was  
along mostly because he was tired of being cooped up. But it was a quick snatch and grab for Darien and Bobby only had to keep a watch out for trouble. The other agent was only along in case something did happen.   
  
Darien stopped in The Keep to speak with Claire while Bobby was reporting in.   
  
"Hey, Keepie I think you plan backfiring on us." Darien said as the door slid open.  
  
But she wasn't there. "Claire?" He made a quick inspection of the lab, but she was gone.  
  
Darien flipped open his cell phone. She didn't answer until the fifth ring.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Claire, we need to talk about your plan."  
  
"Darien, please don't. It was difficult enough for me this morning facing him and not throwing my arms around him." Claire struggled for composure.   
  
"He's so close to the truth, let me just tell him?" Darien asked.   
  
"No, you keep your promise to me." Claire said and hung up.  
  
That was it. Darien made his decision.   
  
"Bobby I had a message from Claire, she wants me to stop by at her house."   
  
"Yeah, Okay I'll catch up with you tomorrow then."   
  
"No, I just have to stop over there for a couple of minutes. Come with me."   
Darien hinted.   
  
  
So as Bobby was driving the van towards Claire's house things began to click in his memory. Other times he'd been looking forward to the end of   
the day. Darien beside him as he was now. They both joined Claire at her place,  
shared dinner. Kissing, touching, more images of making love.   
  
"Fawkes you ever been in a three way relationship?"   
  
"Yeah." Darien smiled, his partner had figured it out.  
  
"Why wouldn't she let you tell me?"  
  
"She was afraid that you weren't remembering us all together because it was to hard for you. Having us competing for your attention, she thought you weren't remembering caring for her because your feelings for me are stronger." Darien confessed.   
  
"My love for both of you is strong, my connection with you is different.  
Is this how it happened? Claire was the one that suggested she and I double team  
you one night after Arnaud escaped?"   
  
"Yeah, that's what did happen. Claire loves you so much Bobby, I don't know how she managed to hide it from you the past week."  
  
"What about you and her? Is it really just you two sharing me, or is this really all three of us loving everyone?"   
  
"Claire and I are close too, she hesitated after I attacked her. But you made it right between us by making me show her my gentle side. She prefers you. If you prefer one of us you've managed to keep it to yourself. I can't tell any difference in how attentive you are with me or Keepie."   
  
"That's because you're both so easy. All I have to do to make you happy is take charge. All I have to do to make Claire happy is hold her close."   
  
"Yeah and it's so rare to find a man that wants the closeness. We both know how   
fortunate we are that you want to hold us." Darien reached across the space between their seats and squeezed his arm.  
  
"How do you think we should play this?" Bobby parked in the space for visitors   
at Claire's town house.   
  
"Maybe you should be the invisible man at first. I'll get us inside then you can  
come out when you think the time is right."   
  
"That might just work Partner." Bobby nodded. he liked the plan.   
  
"Darien? I thought I asked you to leave it alone." Claire turned back from the door knowing if he was determined to talk to her he'd just break in if she closed the door on him now.   
  
"Claire please listen. Bobby is this close to figuring it out." Darien started.   
  
"Why are you arguing this with me you have him all to yourself?"   
She sobbed, and covered her face with her hands.   
  
"Because you love him as much as I do, it is only because of you that we are even together." Darien moved to her, expecting Bobby to reveal himself. But after a couple of seconds when he didn't Darien moved to embrace her. Wrapping his long arms around her and trying to comfort her.   
  
"He was angry with me this morning when I wouldn't tell him. It was so hard to  
keep this from him." Claire sobbed in Darien's embrace.   
  
Bobby unquicksilvered and moved quietly towards the pair. Claire was so involved  
in her own grief she didn't notice him.   
  
"I wasn't angry with you, I was angry at myself for not being able to think."  
Bobby placed a wide hand on her back.  
  
"You know? Did he tell you?"  
  
"No, on the drive over it all came back. I'm sorry you doubted my feelings for you." Bobby confessed. Darien moved back a little so Bobby could hold her now.  
  
"I've missed you so much." Claire moved to hug him. Bobby nearly lifted her off   
her feet in his eagerness to hug her close. They embraced for a minute, then he  
kissed her softly, deeply. "I love you. That will never, ever change."   
  
"I love you Robert Hobbes, I won't ever pretend differently again." She smiled.   
"Thank you Darien." She lifted an arm to pull him into their embrace.   
He grinned and stepped up to join them, placing a kiss on Bobby's mouth. A quick  
reconnect, love you partner kiss. Then he curved them both in against his body  
and sighed.   
  
"It took you long enough." Darien complained.   
  
" Sorry about that Partner, I'll make it up to you." Bobby tightened his hold on both Claire and Darien.   
  
"You bet you will." Darien agreed.   
  
  
end 


End file.
